Today many people suffer from foot problems due to lack of physical activity and wearing poorly fitted shoes. The foot and knee are vulnerable to damage and the above reasons play a major role for foot problems. The ankle is made up of elastic components, when the fibres tears, people suffer from sprain. The ongoing ankle problem should be treated immediately so that it does not create adverse effect in future.
A sudden quick and shifting movement with foot planted at ground is usually the main cause of ankle sprain. Athletes sometimes may face situation when the ankle rolls outward and the foot turns inward. Due to this, the outside ligaments can be stretched detrimentally or even they can tear. The inside ligaments can also get damaged or injured for an opposite situation that is foot goes outward and ankle rolls inward. Actually, if the ligament stretches beyond the normal capacity due to any movement, it may cause ankle sprain.
The ankle sprains are divided into three grades : Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3.
Grade 1 : Fibres stretched a little but the ligaments are not damaged.
Grade 2 : Fibres tear partially loosening the ankle joint.
Grade 3 : Ligament is completely teased.
Person suffering from Grade 3 ankle sprain suffers severe pain.
To diagnose the condition of the ankle sprain, the podiatrist mainly prefers MRI or X-rays. They ask patient about injury history, detect the appearance of the patient’s ankle and perform other physical examination to evaluate the state of the present condition of the patient.
It is very important to undergo proper treatment as soon as the sprain ankle is diagnosed. Today the treatment process is very advanced and they are capable of providing effective treatment to the patients and help them to get rid of the problem permanently. In some cases sufficient rest is enough to heal the problem while in extreme cases, the patients might need to use special splint or boot and casting. They even need to undergo surgery, if the problem is severe.
Adequate rest, ice, compression and elevation are the four individual treatments the podiatrists refer to the patients suffering from minor foot sprains. They ask the patients not to walk on foot for a stipulated period of time. They suggest the patients to use crutches to move around. Applying ice wrapped cloth to the feet is also very effective. Massaging feet with ice wrapped cloth regularly for four to five times a day reduce the pain and swelling within few days. Performing exercises like raising leg above the level of heart is also very useful. It helps to reduce the pain.
The treatment time for grade 2 and grade 3 ankle sprains is longer. In these grades foot suffers from long term instability, therefore patients need to go for proper treatment process. In extreme cases, the patients may need to undergo surgery or short leg braces/cast may be required for few weeks.
